New Approach

October 05, 1993|By VIV BERNSTEIN; Courant Staff Writer

Few who were at the press conference in April 1992, will ever forget the sight of John Ziegler -- man of power, president of the NHL -- with tears in his eyes begging the striking players to accept the league's latest contract offer.

Somehow, it's hard to picture Gary B. Bettman teary-eyed.

His approach to the issues of the day is in complete contrast to that of Ziegler, who made impassioned speeches on cue but more often than not, stayed in his office and downplayed controversies.

When then-president Gil Stein was accused of engineering his own election to the Hall of Fame, Bettman was quick to name an independent counsel and immediately went public with the findings. When reports surfaced in Ottawa that the Senators tanked their final game of the season to ensure the top pick in the draft, the counsel was brought back to look into it.

But the league has been mum on negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, an issue that is just as pressing as the others. (The CBA expired Sept. 15 but the sides agreed to continue to play.) Again, that's a departure from the approach under Ziegler. The last time, the CBA, strike and negotiations were played out in front of the media.

"It depends on the issue you're dealing with," Bettman said. "You handle things as they need to be handled. On collective bargaining, it gets you to your goal of reaching an agreement to negotiate behind the scenes.

"On an issue like Ottawa or the Hall of Fame, the only thing to do is to make sure that everybody understood the facts because that's what it required. There needed to be bold disclosure. There needed to be complete openness. On collective bargaining, it's a work in progress. Not that this is the equivalent of art, but a painter doesn't generally like you to see his work half completed. Collective bargaining is no different. There's work to be done. Don't judge us midstream. Wait until we get to the end and then draw your conclusions."

Bettman might be the voice of the owners, he doesn't always speak their tongue. And he always talks back.

"One of my strengths, I think, is that I can communicate well with the owners," Bettman said. "I talk to all of the owners on a regular basis. I tell them what I'm thinking even if sometimes they don't necessarily want to hear it. Somebody described it once as in-your-face management. I don't know if that's a fair characterization, but I don't shy away from the issues."